welcome to nhk world "newsline." workers in the west bank have completed a delicate job that's key to the investigation into whether yasser arafat was murdered. they exhumed the late palestinian leader's remains. now scientists will analyze tissue samples to check for traces a radioactive poison. palestinian officials in the west bank city of ramallah opened arafat's tomb. they took the tissue samples, then buried the remains again. researchers from a swiss

laboratory will conduct a detailed examination of the samples. it will take them several months to release results. arafat died in 2004 in paris. a documentary by the tv network al jazeera prompted investigators to reopen his case. it said traces of highly toxic radioactive material had been detected on his clothing and other perm belongings. some palestinians believe israel assassinated the late leader. israeli officials deny the claim. analysts at an american satellite imagery firm are raising red flags about a new picture they've taken of north korea. they say the recent photo of a recent facility shows increased activity, and they warn north korean authorities could be preparing for another launch similar to the one that happened last april. digitalglobe released the image of the facility in tongchang-ri in the country's northwest. photo was taken on november 23rd. it shows a new tent, trucks, and many fuel tanks.

digitalglobe analysts say north korean authorities could carry out a missile launch in the next three weeks. earlier, u.s. satellite images of the facility showed what are believed to be parts of a long-range ballistic missile. north koreans space officials failed earlier this year when they tried to launch what they said was a rocket carrying a satellite. some governments called it a missile test. the photos showing renewed activity in the north is prompting renewed attention from different nations. >> translator: we are monitoring related reports. maintaining peace and stability on the korean peninsula is the common responsibility of concerned nations. it's also in their interest. >> a u.s. defense department official declined to comment on the analysis, but the official said the u.s. asks north korea to follow a u.n. security council ban on launches involving ballistic technology. the people who wont to be south korea's next president are mapping out their strategies in

the lead-up to voting day. official campaigning is now under way. and so for the next three weeks candidates will be crisscrossing the country to sell their message. park geun hye of the ruling saenuri party is one of the front-runners. she visited a national cemetery in seoul where she paid respects to those who died in the korean war and other continflicconflic. park expressed her determination to become the country's first female president. >> translator: south korea has to choose whether it wants to move forward with a prepared future or go back to the past which is marked with failure. we are now standing at a crucial crossroads. >> park also said she will promise to build a nation where everyone can lead a happy life. she's locked in a tight race with moon jae-in of the opposition democratic united party. he spoke in the second largest city of busan near his hometown. >> translator: i promise to become the first president to

democratize the economy and establish a sound welfare system through a new type of politics. >> moon also talked about >> moon also talked about entrepreneur-turned-politician ahn cheol-soo. ahn dropped out of the race last week to give moon a better chance for victory when voters head to the polls on december 19th. moon said he'll never forget the sacrifice. he asked ahn's supporters to back him. earlier shery ahn spoke with kengo okamoto who has covered south korea's last two presidential elections. >> kengo, park and moon running neck and neck. what are south koreans looking for in their next leader? >> yes, shery. their biggest concern is growing economic equality. they blame congress glom rats. these groups or big companies dominate south korea's economy. critics say they made it hard for smaller companies to succeed. moon has said one solution is to reintroduce limits on how

conglomerates can invest. he says that would create room for smaller companies to grow. >> and what does park say? she's known to be more conservative. >> yeah. that's right. as far as these powerful groups of allied companies are concerned, park favors the strength to keep their growth in check. but she says they are large employers that play an important role in the economy. she says improving conditions for workers and supporting weak members of society are two of her goals. >> and of course north korea a key issue in south korean politics. what are the candidates' positions on pyongyang? >> yes. that's a big question. both want to see relations improve. moon favors a proactive approach. he has said he would send a mission to the north in the first year as president. he wants to hold summit talks with the north leader.

the last time, it was five years ago. park is cool to the idea of a summit. she says for now south korea should focus on providing humanitarian aid. >> kengo, only three weeks to go till election day. can we tell at this point who could be south korea's next president? >> well, shery, as you know, it's a very difficult question. but many recent opinion polls say park has a slight edge with voters. but some people are concerned about her family's legacy. her father seized power in a coup in the 1960s. he's credited with developing south korea's economy but criticized for cracking down on dissidents. so park faces some challenges in her bid for the presidency. things have looked more promising for moon since ahn cheol-soo dropped out of the race. one key for moon will be winning over ahn's supporters who are mostly young voters with no

party affiliations. a show of strong supporters from ahn would increase moon's chance of winning. the japanese government has come up with an outline of a new green energy plan. it's trying to put an end to nuclear power generation by the 2030s. cabinet ministers involved in shaping the country's energy policy got together on tuesday. they set a target to allow commercial use of wind-generated power sometime after 2015. they also decided to try by 2030 to set up a system that will automatically control and save energy use in all households in the country. the government has been trying to draft a green energy plan since september, hoping to put it together by the end of the year. but it's uncertain whether this target will be met. that's because the lower house has been dissolved and a general election is scheduled for next

month. eurozone finance chiefs have finally reached an agreement on a greek bailout. they have also decided to offer 43.7 billion euros or about $57 billion in loans. the decision came after 12 hours of talks in their third round of meetings this month in brussels. >> i'm pleased to announce that today we reached a political agreement on the next disbursement to greece. let me first say that this is not just about money. this is the promise of a better future for the greek people and for the euro area as a whole. >> the ministers agreed on a new goal of reducing greece's debt to 124% of gross domestic product by 2020. to achieve that target, eurozone countries will lower interest rates on their loans to greece and extend deadlines for repayment. they will also help the greek government buy back its bonds at a lower price.

>> it will help greece because in terms of the euro, we avoid insolvency. so now we have time to think more positively about growth, about the social state, but also how to implement these difficult decisions we have taken. a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas is steaming across the arctic ocean to japan. it's the world's first lng tanker carrying that route. it's also carrying hopes that japan may be able to diversify its lng imports in the future. the tanker left hammersfest in norway early this month. it's scheduled to arrive at an lng farm in kitakyushu city in western japan early next month. the vessel is loaded with 60,000 tons of lng. kyushu power company bought the

lng from gazprom, a firm related to russia's gas company. the arctic route is considered promising as a new shipping lane connecting europe and japan. that's because the arctic ice is reduced due to global warming. the route can be used only between spring and fall when the amount of ice is small. once the route is proven safe, japan can increase its lng imports from europe and russia. this will also cut japan's energy dependence on the middle east as well as import costs. european countries are hoping to boost their exports of natural gas to japan and other asian nations by using this new route. japan is not the only asian country that seeks greater potential in the arctic sea. china is another. a research institute in sweden says china will steadily increase efforts to secure natural resources in the arctic region. the stockholm international peace research institute issued a report on china's activities in the region on tuesday. it says the country is showing a strong interest in exploring

natural resources in the area and using the arctic shipping lane. but the report notes that it's hard to envision china to be assertive in resource exploitation. it points out that the country is taking a cooperative stance with the arctic council. that's a group of nations including russia and canada set up to promote sustainable development of resources and environmental protection. the u.s. geological institute estimates the arctic sea's continental shelf holds 13% of the world's as yet untapped crude oil. as global warming has caused the ice in the region to recede, countries such as russia and norway have started developing the area. china has aslo sent a large ice breaker to the region to conduct marine research. famous brands that source products from bangladesh are under pressure over safety standards following a deadly blaze at a textile factory.

dhra dhirakaosal has more details -- cholaphansa narula has more details from bangkok. >> cheaper costs are one of the big attractions, but companies are under pressure to curb risky practices after the deadly fire that erupted on saturday. the blaze killed at least 112 people and injured over 150. it was the worst garment factory fire in bangladeshi history. police say nary narrow exits in the nine-story building trapped workers inside. the world's largest retailer walmart revealed on monday that one of its suppliers had subcontracted work to the company without permission. walmart said it terminated its relationship with the supplier. other brands such as nike and the gap have denied having any connection with the factory. another fire broke out in a garment factory outoutside dhaka.

no casualties were reported. the labor rights forum says the tragedy should be a call to action for global manufacturers that proffer from low wages in bangladesh. workers have taken to the streets to demand better conditions. bangladesh has about 4,500 factories, making it the second biggest exporter of clothing after china. working conditions are notoriously bad and safety laws are weak. refugees from myanmar continue to populate areas across the border in thailand. many are ethnic minorities who fled prosecution. for years, aid organizations have offered support such as medical clinics. but the democratization taking place across the border has created new challenges for care providers. nhk world has visited a clinic for refugees and filed this report. >> reporter: the town of mae sot is located near thailand's western border.

refugees from myanmar are said to account for almost half of the town's population. this clinic on the edge of town provides medical supplies to refugees and imgrants from myanmar. the first visit costs just a dollar. they get to see a doctor and receive free medication. >> translator: i don't have much money, so i can't afford other hospitals. >> reporter: she was forced to flee myanmar for protesting against the prosecution of ethnic minorities. she established the clinic 33 years ago to assist other refugees.

the clinic employs some 600 medical workers, including nurses, physicians, and gynecologists. they also take care of a rising number of patients who come across the border looking for better medical care. because myanmar's own facilities are run down. this man is one of them. he lost his leg below the knee in a shooting incident, so the clinic made him an artificial leg. >> reporter: the clinic sees about 150,000 patients a year, but managers have an unexpected problem. the clinic needs an extra

$290,000 to cover its costs for this year. but financially has been falling. organizations are channelling funds into myanmar instead to support its democratization. >> over the years, the caseload has grown a lot. they weren't giving as much money either, perhaps because of all the good news inside burma. so they might have thought the maoe pz to clinic was no longer necessary. >> reporter: the clinic still has an important role to play. she has reduced the workforce by 10% to cut costs. >> translator: if the health care system in myanmar improves, fewer patients will come to us. eventually nobody will need our services, but we have to keep providing them for now. >> reporter: it will likely be

some time before the government and ethnic groups in myanmar reach a lasting peace. cynthia is working hard to improve skills of young members of her team, hoping that one day they will be able to put them to use back home. isa, nhk world, thailand. >> and that concludes our report. i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. a cutting-edge factory for growing vegetables has opened its doors. the government of hokkaido in partnership with area businesses unveiled the new biotechnology research facility. around 70 people attended on tuesday the opening ceremony in sapporo. the buytech facility features

five rooms. one functions as a green house with glass that absorbs sunlight but repels heat. the color and intensity of the room's lighting can be adjusted through an array of l.e.d.s. another room has lamps that can re-create summer sunshine. these rooms can control the percentage of water in plants grown inside as well as their biochemical composition according to their sbeblded purposes. for example, plants grown for medical purposes have different requirements than those grown for food. genetically modified or hydrouponally cultivated plants can also be studied. hokkaido business officials and business leaders invested $12 million to build the facility. they hope it will attract biotechnology companies to the region. >> translator: i like hokkaido produce to become popular around the world, but it's not just about the food. i hope we can raise hokkaido's profile in the technological and medical sectors, as well. >> five japanese companies are slated to move in for research

and development early next year. the city of kyoto is filled with the sights and smells of fall. people from across japan and around the world have come to enjoy the foliage as they wander through ancient temples and gardens. nhk world's rina nakano visited the biggest zen buddhist temple in japan. >> reporter: it's a beautiful day here in central kyoto. the sun is shining and the air is cool. it's the perfect time to go sightseeing. we are here at a temple known for its beautiful gardens. these maples here, people say it hasn't been this pretty for the last ten years so we are here at the perfect time. they say that the warm summer and the cool november temperatures were what made this the perfect environment for it to turn pretty colors. well, tazo-in is one of the oldest temples in the complex.

it's the largest temple in japan. it also serves as the headquarters of the sect in buddhism. well, workers built tazo-in more than 600 years ago, and monks have studied here ever since. but about 50 years ago, the leader decided that the temple needed a quick makeover. so this is what happened. well, this area used to be a bamboo forest, but look at it now. a half-century ago the trees died so the priest at the time decided to create a water garden instead. and ever since, people have been enjoying this beautiful scenery. we are now joined by the priest's grandson. he is now the deputy priest at tazo. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> if you could tell us a little bit about your grandfather's inspiration for this garden. >> actually, the design of this garden is one of the best

japanese garden design of 100 years. the interesting point of this garden is here is a low and there it is steep and the gardens are surrounded by high trees. it's kind of illusion. and in fact we have tea in there and when you have tea there, you can better enjoy the garden. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> let' check out that teagarden. it's right up here past the stone walkway. right up these stairs, right here to the left. we have to take our shoes off, so litet's do that. it's right to the left here. when you get here, you can order a japanese meal, some confections, and also some tea. they say that this spot right here is the perfect spot to look at this garden. so let's take a seat here. they say that people can enjoy their food and drinks while looking at these maples and the beautiful scenery.

but people won't have this chance for too much longer. the garden here is open year round, but the meal set is only available until mid-december. in kyoto, i'm rina nakano, nhk world. there's a snowstorm in northern japan, but things are changing as we speak. rachel ferguson is here with more. rachel? yes, we are changing at the moment, but before we get there, i want to show you what has been happening now. it's been very windy, very stormy, thunder and lightning, and snow up in hokkaido and northern honshu. i want to show you some of the winds, in fact, that have been reported today. 152 kilometers per hour in southern hokkaido. we also had a report of 143 kilometers per hour in mouran. i want to take you there right now to show you some of the situations we've been talking about today. in fact, this will give you an idea of what is taking place up there.

snow was accompanied by extremely strong winds like we were talking about there, and they helped to cause power outages for at least 40,000 residents. of course there were also problems with traffic. the trains were stopped across the island, as well. several homes collapsed -- i should say the roofs did because of the heavy snow. there was also a power line that came down, a ten-meter-high electric tower due to the violent wind coming through today. so structural damage, blackouts, and as you can see just lots of challenges today with that snow and the continuing winds. now, things do look a lot better into wednesday. this is the picture here. high pressure across much of japan. however, this is the ominous system just lurking up towards northeastern china. this one is going to be come across by wednesday night, bringing another round of snow. rain will be mixed in with it as well as we get those warmer winds coming up from the south. certainly another snow event up

towards the north. now, talking about warmer winds down to the south, we've been seeing another rain event here in southern china. it's unseasonably wet here. in fact, the last several days we've seen ongoing heavy rain here, parts of guangzhou province picking up some rain, unfortunately likely to see another 50 millimeters in some places. flooding and mud slides and landslides will continue to be a concern heading into the middle of the week. minus 19 the high in ulan bator. really starting to see those figures drop quite rapidly now. 5 degrees in beijing and 11 degrees expected in tokyo on wednesday. same goes for you in chongqing. but we're still seeing a fairly warm day in taipei at 25 and 34 in manila. all right. we head now to talk about europe. now, it has been wet and wild across scandinavia and the british isles for the last several days. severe flooding impacting the british isles, in fact. but that high pressure, that long-promised high pressure, is finally going to move in wednesday into thursday.

where we're going to focus our attention is going to be this large system, which is strengthening as we speak now, just over the central mediterranean. it's going to be bringing some strong gusts up to about almost 100 kilometers per hour, short-time heavy rain, and also the prospect of snow for the alpine region, maybe 20 to 40 centimet centimeters. it's just going to linger for the rest of the workweek, unfortunately, so quite a troublesome system there. temperature-wise, 3 degrees in stockholm, minus 2 in moscow. we actually have some precipitation heading up towards the baltic states, which will be turning over to snow as it hits those frigid subzero temperatures. 8 degrees in kiev, 8 in berlin, as well, as in paris and madrid, but managing to get back up to 20 degrees down towards the south in athens. here's your extended forecast. ♪

training buddhist monks at a temple in central japan are engaged in a traditional winter practice. the work is essential to their diet and also part of their training. monks at this zen temple in fukui prefecture are making radishes known as takuan. the food is served daily to about 200 monks in training. radishes are packed into barrels. the monks add a mixture of rice bran salt and chili peppers. >> translator: everything in daily life is zen training. it's not just about prayer and seated meditation. pickling radishes is also an important process. >> the radishes will be served as takuan after they're pickled for about one year. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.